Kayden Troff

Kayden started playing chess at age three when his father, Daniel, taught the game to him and his brothers. After it was discovered that Kayden had a special talent for chess, at age six he began training with Grandmaster Igor Ivanov. He was one of the first young chess players to be selected for participation in the Young Stars - Team USA program, where he was mentored by World Champion Garry Kasparov. He has also trained with GM Alex Chernin, GM Melikset Khachiyan, and GM Sam Shankland.

In addition to winning multiple Utah Scholastic and adult Utah Championships, some highlights of his chess career include winning the 2009 North American Championship (Under 12), placing second at the 2010 World Youth Championship U-12, taking gold in the 2012 World Youth Championship U-14, and competing in the 2013 and 2015 U.S. Chess Championships. Kayden also notably won the 2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship with an impressive 7/9 score at age 16. You can learn more about Kayden on his website, www.kaydentroff.blogspot.com.